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Binge drinking leads to one in 10 early adult deaths, CDC says

By The Washington Post

Posted:
06/27/2014 12:01:00 AM MDT

Updated:
06/27/2014 08:17:12 AM MDT

WASHINGTON — It's no secret that America's favorite legal drug has vast impacts on public health. But just how closely binge drinking and overconsumption of alcohol are linked to deaths may come as a surprise.

One in 10 deaths of working-age adults every year is attributable to "excessive alcohol consumption," according to a report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — a finding that keeps booze as "a leading cause of premature mortality nationwide."

The 88,000 deaths annually from 2006 to 2010 included acute causes, such as violence, alcohol poisoning and car crashes, as well as the health effects of prolonged overconsumption of alcohol, such as liver disease, heart disease and breast cancer. Excessive drinking shortened the lives of the people who died by about 30 years each, for a total of about 2.5 million years of potential life lost.

The Boulder alt-country band gives its EPs names such as Death and Resurrection, and its songs bear the mark of hard truths and sin. But the punk energy behind the playing, and the sense that it's all in good fun, make it OK to dance to a song like "Death." Full Story